Creating fit-for-purpose Safe Systems of Work

This article builds on a previous article which appeared in the April 2024 HEJ — titled 'Limitations with HTMs need addressing', written by Ashley Morpeth (Eta Projects).1 The HEJ article stated that 'People often think that because, for example, they can demonstrate compliance with the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) 2000 (i.e. they have a written scheme of examination for relevant systems, and they are inspected at the required frequencies), they have covered all the bases. This isn't necessarily true'.

The sole requirements of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations, in relation to SSoW, are contained in Regulation 92 — Examination in accordance with the written scheme — 'The user of an installed system and the owner of a mobile system shall, before each examination, take all appropriate safety measures to prepare the system for examination, including any such measures as are specified in the scheme of examination pursuant to regulation.'

Safe Systems of Work should be part of everything we do at work, and are a requirement of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, under Section 2,3 General duties of employers to their employees, which states: 'It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees… the matters to which that duty extends include in particular — the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health.'